Main courses
A refined southern Italian first course: handmade semolina cavatelli dressed in a bright tomato and basil sauce inspired by Sicily’s sun, volcanic soil, and aromatic herbs.
Recipe video
Prepare the station before touching the dough. Weigh every ingredient, crush the tomatoes by hand in a bowl, lightly bruise the basil leaves, and bring a large pot of water to a gentle pre-heat so it will be ready later. Line a tray with semolina for the shaped pasta. Keep one bench scraper, one fork or cavatelli board, and a clean cloth nearby. Critical point: do not start the sauce before the mise en place is complete; this recipe moves smoothly only when dough, tray, sauce ingredients, and boiling setup are ready in exact sequence.
Place the semolina and salt in a bowl, add the warm water and olive oil, and mix first with a fork, then by hand until shaggy. Transfer to the bench and knead 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is compact, smooth, and elastic with a firm feel. It should not be sticky, but it must not crack deeply when pressed. Adjust only if necessary: a few drops of water if too dry, a dusting of semolina if tacky. Critical point: cavatelli dough must stay firmer than bread dough; excess water makes shaping imprecise and weakens the bite.
Wrap the dough and let it rest 20 minutes at room temperature. During this time, place olive oil and crushed garlic in a sauté pan over low heat. Let the garlic perfume the oil without browning, then remove it for elegance and sweetness. Add tomato paste and cook briefly to remove its raw edge. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and optional chili. Simmer gently 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glossy and slightly concentrated. Add most of the basil only in the final 2 minutes. Critical point: the sauce must reduce enough to cling, but remain fresh and bright, never jammy.
Cut the rested dough into sections. Keep unused pieces covered. Roll one section at a time into ropes about 1 cm / 0.4 in thick, then cut into small pillows roughly 2 cm / 0.8 in long. Using two fingers, drag each piece lightly toward you on the bench or cavatelli board to form the hollow cavity. Place them on the semolina-lined tray without overlap. Critical point: maintain uniform size so the pasta cooks evenly. Press with confidence but not force; the goal is a shell-like curve that catches sauce, not a flattened strip.
Bring the water to a full boil and salt it generously; it should taste pleasantly seasoned. Drop in the cavatelli, stir immediately once, and cook until they rise and become tender but still resilient, usually 3 to 5 minutes depending on thickness. Just before draining, reserve a generous cup of cooking water. Critical point: never overcook at this stage. The pasta will finish in the sauce, and that final minute is essential to achieve true union between pasta and condiment.
Warm the sauce over medium heat. Transfer the cavatelli directly into the pan and add a small ladle of cooking water. Toss or stir continuously for about 1 minute so the starch and olive oil create a light emulsion around each piece. Add the final basil leaves torn by hand and a small thread of fresh olive oil. Adjust salt. The sauce should coat the cavatelli in a thin, luminous veil, not pool at the bottom.
Twirl and mound the cavatelli neatly in warm shallow bowls. Spoon a little extra sauce around, not overloading the pasta. Finish with tiny basil tips and, if desired, a delicate snowfall of ricotta salata for a more distinctly Sicilian finish. Serve immediately.
